Tea Time
by chakramchaser
Summary: Helena and Myka bond over loose-leaf and lemon. Three maybe more chapters of pure fluff, written as a thank for for someone who helped me out of some bothersome Warehouse 13 frustration. :
1. Chapter 1

Climbing up the stairs in the Warehouse with her nose buried in inventory lists, Myka hardly even noticed her surroundings once she got inside the office. She sat down at the desk and flipped furiously through her notes, cross-checking and organizing in her mind. When a piercing whistle suddenly began to course through the air, Myka's head snapped up in alarm. Footsteps rapidly approached from behind and she whirled around to face them, one hand on the gun at her hip. It was proven needless, though, when she saw that the whistle came from a kettle that had been set up on the table. The footsteps, unsurprisingly, belonged to HG.

"What are you doing, Helena?" Myka asked as she watched the other agent rush to turn the kettle off.

"It's 4 o'clock, darling," she said, lifting the kettle from its base and poured the steaming water into a readied tea pot. "Tea time. Simply being stuck at the Warehouse for the afternoon does not warrant skipping this small civilized ritual."

Myka smiled crookedly as the fragrance of the tea filled the office. HG waited until the tea was steeped before pouring some into a mug. She looked over at Myka, poised to pour another.

"Would you like some?"

"Ah, I'm not much of a tea drinker," Myka said, waving the offer away with a smile and returning to her notes. The sound of tea filling a mug reached her ears regardless of her refusal, and moments later HG set the mug next to Myka and sat down across from her.

"Nonsense," she said, taking a sip of her own tea. "You've been staring at those inventory lists all day and I'll have no more of it. This is just what you need." She reached across and pushed the mug towards Myka, who picked it up gingerly and sniffed at it. HG simply watched, amused, and continued to sip her own tea.

"Uh, what is it exactly?" Myka asked suspiciously, venturing to taste the drink.

"It's Earl Grey," HG answered, wrapping her hands around her mug. "Simple, but so lovely. Personally I favour it with just a bit of lemon, although milk and sugar are nice on occasion."

"Sounds good, I guess," Myka said, setting her mug down. "So are there any requirements for the tea ritual other than the tea?"

"Well, we have two options. The first is the more mundane, in which we chat about the weather or the events of the day thus far."

"And the second?" Myka asked, picking her tea up with slightly more interest before and continuing to drink.

"The second option is much more intimate," Helena said quite casually, "in which we have serious conversations about the things which affect us most deeply and share our darkest and most carefully guarded secrets." She paused to raise her eyebrow suggestively at Myka, a half-joking smile pulling at her mouth.

"Well, uh, why don't we start with the weather and see where it goes?"

"Fair enough," HG answered. "Although seeing as there are no windows, I can't quite say what the weather is at the moment…" She looked around the office and gave Myka a shrug. "Any other suggestions?"

Myka shook her head, short on words for once as she watched Helena search the recesses of her mind for some other appropriate topic of conversation. When she opened her mouth to speak, Myka suddenly found herself interrupting.

"You know, Helena," she said, "on second thought, we don't have to talk about anything. I mean, I'm just happy to sit and have tea with you."

The tender smile that lit up Helena's face caught Myka by surprise, but she did nothing to suppress the joy she took in the other woman's content. Helena reached out and rested her hand on Myka's forearm, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I would enjoy that very much, darling," she said, withdrawing her hand to grasp her tea once again as Myka did the same. With the occasional stolen glance and smile, they passed the afternoon in relative silence surrounded by the familiar comfort of the Warehouse, each other's presence and the fragrance of their Earl Grey tea.


	2. Chapter 2

The B&B was silent as Myka crept down the stairs to the kitchen. Not wanting to wake anyone, she tiptoed across the floor and switched on the kitchen light. The warm yellow glow spilled onto the floors of the adjoining rooms, and Myka quietly got to work putting up the kettle and spooning tea leaves into the strainer in the teapot. She watched the kettle boil, making sure to remove it from the heat before it whistled and roused the entire house. As soon as the water hit the tea leaves, Myka was immersed in a rich, spicy fragrance and the steam from the pot warmed her night-chilled skin.

"I thought you didn't drink tea." A hushed voice from the door caused Myka to turn around. Helena was leaning against the doorway, dressed in striped pyjama pants and a soft purple sweater. Her arms were crossed and her hair tousled, a satisfied smile on her face.

"I couldn't sleep." Myka lowered her gaze, suddenly and inexplicably aware of the fact that she must look awful. "How about you?"

"I tend not to sleep much." She walked into the kitchen and sat at the small wooden table in the corner. "Would you mind terribly if I joined you?"

"Not at all," Myka said, getting out a mug for herself. "Tea?"

Helena nodded, running a hand through her hair and humming her assent. A moment later Myka set a steaming mug before HG and sat down across from her with a mug for herself. HG closed her eyes and smelled the tea.

"Earl Grey," she said, looking appreciatively at Myka.

"What can I say, I just felt like it." Myka took a drink from her mug and pulled her knees in close to her chest. Despite her half-hearted efforts to avoid it, she allowed Helena to capture her gaze and they sat staring at each other across the steaming tea. When Myka sighed heavily, never breaking eye contact, HG rested her chin on her fist and shook her head.

"Alright, you simply have to tell me what's bothering you or I fear you'll never sleep again."

"It's nothing," Myka said. "Nothing specific, I mean. I just… I feel a bit uneasy."

Helena wrinkled her nose. "About what?"

"I'm not exactly sure. It almost feels like I'm fighting something, but I don't know what it is."

"Anything I can do to help, darling?"

"Thanks, Helena. I don't think so. But this is nice." Myka tucked a loose curl behind her ear. "Just talking helps."

"And the tea?" Helena raised her eyebrow expectantly and Myka laughed.

"I'll admit it's growing on me," she replied stubbornly, draining her mug and pushing it across the table. A smug expression came across Helena's face as she ran her hand through the steam coming off her tea, watching the swirls and shapes that trailed up through her fingers.

"Not much of a tea drinker, indeed," she muttered just loud enough for Myka to hear, earning her a kick under the table. A comfortable silence took over with only the crickets outside interrupting, and Myka felt her mind drifting to a comfortable place of rest. She glanced over at Helena, who was fiddling with the sleeve of her sweater. Her hair curtained part of her face and she pursed her lips, biting on the bottom one absentmindedly. When she looked up to find Myka already staring at her, she shook her hair out of her face and sat up straight.

"Earl Grey tea is named for Charles Grey, the Viscount Howick," she said in a faraway voice. "He was Prime Minister for a time, several years before I was born. His political contributions were such that apparently, somebody saw fit to commemorate it with a beverage. There even exists a tea named for his wife."

"Really?" Myka said, stifling a yawn.

"Oh, yes. Lady Grey. Quite fragrant, a personal favourite of mine… You know they had sixteen children together, Earl and Lady Grey? Not all survived into adulthood, of course–" Helena stopped abruptly, the rest of the words caught in her throat and her face suddenly ashen. Her hands ceased their fiddling and her gaze dropped. Myka's heart sank and she hesitantly reached across the table to grasp HG's stilled fingers in her own.

"What do you say we go to sleep," she suggested gently. Helena looked up into Myka's eyes, finding them full of reassurance and worry. She nodded silently, giving a weak smile as she stood and waited for Myka to shut the kitchen light. The two fell into step next to each other as they headed up the stairs, their hands brushing as they moved. When Myka arrived at the door to her room, she turned to face Helena.

"I really appreciated your company," she offered uselessly, but taking comfort in the softening of the lines of HG's face.

"As I appreciated yours," she countered, raising her hand as if she was about to reach out and touch Myka. At the last second, though, she seemed to change her mind and her hand went to the back of her neck instead.

"Myka, do you think I…" she started, furrowing her brow. When she failed to continue, Myka's stomach clenched and she ventured to guess the remaining half of the request.

"Do you want to sleep in my room tonight?" she offered hesitantly. Even in the dark Myka could make out the colour rising in HG's cheeks as she nodded.

"You do understand I'm quite embarrassed to have to ask," she whispered. Myka reached out and took Helena's hand in her own, opening the door to her room and leading her inside.

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about," she assured her firmly, shutting the door behind them and walking over to the bed to turn down the undisturbed covers. "I could use it tonight too, to be honest." She slipped into bed and held the covers back for Helena on the other side as she wordlessly climbed in next to her. Not expecting any further conversation, though, Myka turned onto her side and shut her eyes.

"Myka?" HG's barely audible voice came through the dark. Myka opened her eyes to find the other woman lying on her side so they were facing each other, her face lit up in the moonlight streaming through the window.

"Yeah," she said, her voice thick with impending sleep. Helena smiled, pulling the covers close around her neck.

"Thank you."

Myka shut her eyes and smiled, reaching out with her leg to brush HG's in acknowledgement of the comment. The last thing Myka heard before she drifted into dreams was a contented sigh and the rustling of the blankets next to her as her bedfellow settled in for the peaceful sleep she deserved.


End file.
